Snowsports: Podium finish for Eustace

Wanaka skeleton racer Katharine Eustace came third in a Europe Cup race on December 19 and followed up with a fourth place the next day, on the second day of races at the Igls track, in Austria.

The podium finish was a heartening result for the Wanaka physiotherapist, who is aiming to qualify for the Winter Olympics in February and has accumulated results of 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th on the Inter Continental Cup circuit during November and this month.

"Having not done as well as I had hoped on race days throughout the season so far, I decided to go and race in Austria. I was pleased as I finished third in the first race. I was very proud to see the New Zealand flag flying," Eustace said.

Eustace has three more races scheduled before the New Zealand team is selected in mid-January and she feels her results on the Inter Continental Cup circuit are such it would be difficult to secure two slots for New Zealand women at the Olympic Games.

"But with these races still to come, it is worth continuing to try and gain more points. Having shown potential in training I just need to try and work out why I am not performing on race day," Eustace said.

Skeleton racing slots at the Olympic Games are determined by the International Bob Sled and Skeleton Federation, which allocates a quota to each nation racing on either the World Cup Circuit or the Inter Continental Cup circuit in the northern hemisphere.

Three New Zealand women are competing for the allocation and Eustace, ranked 29th in the world and the New Zealand No 2, said the field was definitely tougher than last year.

"I think that everyone has stepped up their game for this year," she said.

Dunedin's Toinette Stoddard is competing on the World Cup circuit and has come 10th, 11th, 13th, 18th and 22nd in her five European races so far this season.

Stoddard is New Zealand No 1 and ranked 19th in the world.

West Auckland's Louise Corcoran, formerly of Wanaka, is in North America racing the America's Cup circuit and is ranked outside the top 50.

The 2006 Olympian will join the Inter Continental Cup circuit once it arrives at Lake Placid in early January.

Corcoran's best result to date was a third place in Calgary on December 20.

She is now training at Lake Placid.